The HIPAA Challenge:
Regulatory compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has created significant challenges for healthcare providers and payers. While insurance portability is a uniquely American issue, HIPAA includes requirements for patient privacy protection. Privacy protection is also a requirement in most other, non US jurisdictions.
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Hitachi ID Solutions Supporting HIPAA Compliance
1. HIPAA Hitachi ID Solutions Supporting HIPAA Compliance
The Hitachi ID The HIPAA Challenge
Management Suite Regulatory compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Account-
ability Act (HIPAA) has created significant challenges for healthcare providers
The Hitachi ID Management Suite is and payers. While insurance portability is a uniquely American issue, HIPAA
an integrated solution for managing includes requirements for patient privacy protection. Privacy protection is also
user onboarding, security manage- a requirement in most other, non US jurisdictions. To view the full text of the
ment and deactivation processes. HIPAA act go to http://aspe.hhs.gov/admnsimp/pl104191.htm
It uses automation, self-service,
consolidated and delegated ad-
Privacy protection depends on effective internal controls, including:
ministration to reduce IT support
cost, improve user productivity and
strengthen security. • Who can access sensitive patient data?
• How are these users authenticated?
Sample Healthcare organizations • What can they see and modify?
that use the Hitachi ID Management • Are users held accountable for their actions?
Suite:
These requirements are met by classic AAA infrastructure: Authentication,
• Blue Shield of California Authorization and Audit. AAA infrastructure has been standard in enterprise ap-
• Cancer Care Ontario plications for years. Unfortunately, a large and growing number of applications,
• Hospital Corporation of America combined with high staff mobility have made it much harder to manage user
• Humana Inc.
data. As a result, users get access rights inappropriate to their jobs and users
• Independence Blue Cross
may be inadequately authenticated. Problems with user security include:
• Indian River Memorial Hospital
• Mount Carmel Health
• Siemens Health Services • Orphan accounts
• St John’s Regional Medical Center • Dormant accounts
• University of Wisconsin Hospital • Stale or excess privileges
and Clinics Authority • Weak passwords
• Vulnerable caller authentication at the help desk
These weaknesses are not in the AAA technology -- they are in the business
processes for managing user data.
The Solution
Organizations must implement sound processes to manage identities and en-
titlements, so that only the right users get access to the right data, at the right
time. This is accomplished by:
• Correlating different user IDs to people.
• Controlling how users acquire and when they lose security rights.
• Logging current and historic access rights, to support audits.
• Periodic audits of user privileges, carried out by managers and data owners.
• Controlling access to administrative accounts.
• Requiring strong passwords or two-factor authentication.
• Using reliable processes to authenticate callers to the help desk.